Sir Simon Milton leaves LGA to become Boris' Deputy Mayor

"Sir Simon Milton is to stand down as a Westminster Councillor and as Chairman of the Local Government Association to enable him to advise Mayor of London Boris Johnson on planning matters, City Hall confirmed this evening.

Milton was originally announced as taking a role in Johnson's administration on 6th May however the appointment ran into problems as Milton's status as a local Councillor meant he wasn't allowed to take up a salaried role within the Greater London Authority.

Milton's role was then downgraded to that of informal advisor with planning decisions delegated to Ian Clement although this was originally denied by the Mayor.

Today's announcement of his resignation from Westminster Council removes this hurdle and frees Milton to join Johnson's team with the honourary title of 'deputy mayor for policy and planning'. The appointment is one of ten permitted to the Mayor under the 1999 GLA act."